2020 had so much going for it for me personally, so much unrealized potential. Cinco De Mayo was on a (Taco) Tuesday; the Fourth of July, Halloween and my birthday were all going to fall on a Saturday. It was all shaping up to be great. Then the world shut down due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Sports, Broadway, travel, social gatherings, in-office work were all replaced by zoom meetings, sweatpants and plexiglass. And illness. And for too many, loss of life.

We’re all ready to leave it behind, and while we’re at it, let’s leave some other things behind too. This list has the potential to get pretty heavy and deep. I know many of us dealt with some serious things this year, but I’m focusing on some other things that may not seem too serious, but they actually meant something to me. They may resonate with you as well.

These are the things I’m leaving behind. I hope you figure out your list and leave those things behind, too.

I am a big Marie Kondo fan, I did a great job organizing my clothes when “Tidying with Marie Kondo” first came out. Since then, however, I could do with a refresh. If you’re also like me, you have done a great deal of online clothes shopping since March. Before we ring in the new year, my closet is going to be more organized than a brand new box of crayons. Here’s some ways you can reduce, reuse and recycle the stuff in your closets (including old hijabs, which I obviously don’t own myself, but maybe you do).

Spending every waking moment no more than two rooms away from loved ones the past eight months has absolutely depleted my list of conversation topics and witty anecdotes. I even bought a conversation starter card game for some new material to talk about. But you know what? Now is the perfect time to have those difficult conversations you may have been putting off in your relationships. Whether you need to work on your romantic relationship or your kids are exhibiting a behavior you’d like to stop, it’s more than past time. Constructive, difficult conversations are never easy, but they are worth it.

I don’t want to brag, but I’ve lost almost 30 pounds since March. I was the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life before the pandemic hit, and I will never go back. My ultimate goal is still another 30 pounds away, and I’ll get there. But that first 30 are going to stay in 2020 forever. Did I tell you I lost 30 pounds? It’s a pretty big deal; I’m pretty awesome. I said I didn’t want to brag, but that was so five sentences ago.

Personally I have a lot more time on my hands now that I no longer have to commute to our Haute Hijab office in New York City every day. On a typical day I’d spend three hours on a train. I haven’t had to do that commute since March 12th, when I took the 7:28 a.m. train and came home on the 6:33 p.m. I have saved 552 hours of commuting time, but it’s not like I’m fixated on that or anything.

Anyway, just because there is more time in the day for work or whatever things you do doesn’t mean you should spend your time doing that. Take up a hobby, focus on a new diet (did I tell you I lost 30 pounds since March?) or just do little things for yourself. Of course our Blog Editor Dilshad and Marketing Manager Noor would probably like to throttle me right now, because they have kids who suck up their time and thus this advice may be hard to take. But jokes aside, I still stand by it. We all really need to carve out a little bit of time for ourselves.

Also, everyone should feel bad for me because I’ve only had three vacations this year. (Ok, maybe my brand of humor isn’t for you. It’s my way of coping.)

These are just four things that are very easy in principle to do. In practice they require dedication and discipline. By default, 2021 has to be better than 2020. But even if it somehow isn’t, you can take these steps to make it a better “you” year. Start your plan for 2021, and finish the year right with a clean closet!